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Michael Rubbo

Michael Rubbo

Director and writer · Born December 31, 1938 (87) · Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Michael Rubbo is an Australian documentary filmmaker, screenwriter, and director known for his innovative and personal approach to nonfiction storytelling. A longtime contributor to the National Film Board of Canada, Rubbo crafted documentaries that blended observation with subjective narration, often inserting himself into the narrative—a style that influenced later generations of documentary filmmakers. His notable works include Sad Song of Yellow Skin (1970), which explored the impact of the Vietnam War on civilians, and Waiting for Fidel (1974), a unique take on political documentary. Beyond documentaries, Rubbo also directed children’s films such as The Peanut Butter Solution (1985) and later pursued a career as an author and painter, continuing his creative exploration across different mediums.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 31, 1938 (87)
From
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Works as
Director and writer
Titles
4 on MovieCove · 30 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 30% in 30 days

What are Michael Rubbo's films like?

Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
52%
Bonds
30%
Ideas
17%
Coming of age2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 4 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 3 · Serious 1 · Dark 0

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 0 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 3 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 4 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 3 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings shown from 5 titles

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Hopeful
2
Warm
2
Dread
1
Joyful
2
Absurd
1
Other
2

How their films linger

Feel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Michael Rubbo's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 1 of their 4 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Michael Rubbo's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

30 credits, 4 with a MovieCove page.

  • Murder on the Shanghai (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Director

  • Much Ado About Something (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director · as Himself

  • Maverick on a Mobile (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Executive Producer

  • Race Around the World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Show Creator

  • The Return of Tommy Tricker(1994)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Vincent and Me(1990)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller(1988)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Courage to Change (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Producer

  • The Peanut Butter Solution(1985)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Atwood and Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Margaret Atwood: Once in August (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Director · as Himself

  • Daisy: The Story of a Facelift (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Director

  • Unfinished Diary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    as The husband

  • Challenger: An Industrial Romance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Co-Director · Associate Producer

  • River (Planet Earth) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Editor · Writer

  • Temiscaming, Québec (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Editor

  • Waiting for Fidel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Director · Editor · Producer · as Self

  • Bate's Car: Sweet as a Nut (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Producer

  • Adieu Alouette (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Cold Pizza (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Producer

  • OK ... Camera (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Director

  • Persistent and Finagling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Director · Editor · Writer

  • Wet Earth and Warm People (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Director · Editor · Writer

  • Sad Song of Yellow Skin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Director · Editor · as Narrator

  • Adventures (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Director · Editor · Writer

  • Sir! Sir! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Director

  • That Mouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Director · Screenplay

  • The Bear and the Mouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Editor · Writer

  • I Am an Old Tree (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Editor · Producer · Writer

  • Log House (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 30 titles, 28 of them dated from 1966 to 2012.

Highest rated

Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller (1988)

Midcredits 70th

Most popular right now

The Peanut Butter Solution (1985)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting2 of 30: 1 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting21 of 30: 8 only directing, 13 with another roleWriting12 of 30: 0 only writing, 12 with another roleProducing7 of 30: 4 only producing, 3 with another roleEditing9 of 30: 1 only editing, 8 with another roleOther crew1 of 30: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

30 titles, 15 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 10 of them.

By decade

1960s4 · crew1970s10 · 1 acting · 10 crew1980s8 · 1 acting · 7 crew1990s4 · crew2000s1 · crew2010s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

How do Michael Rubbo's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 48th percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 41st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

41stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Approval · how many liked their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Reach · how many have seen their films

47thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Midcredits score across 4 titles, by percentile

  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th2

Shape of the crowd

2 of their 4 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · director, writer

The Return of Tommy Tricker (1994)

59th percentile spread · 28% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, writer

Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller (1988)

Midcredits 70th · 65% liked

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Michael Rubbo work with?

People who share at least 2 of Michael Rubbo's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Rock Demers shares the most, 4.

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers

Mixed roles